Phonograph.



C. STEIN PHONOGRAPH.

.APPLICATION FILED OCT. H. 1916.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- C. STEIN. PHONO GRAPH.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I4. 1916.

1,261,174, PatentedApr.2,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHED 2.

' thereof.

' bodying the features of this invention, the.

I which in the general UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL STEIN, 0F STE-GER, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO STEGER & SONS PIANO MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF STEGER, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PHONOGRAPH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL STEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Steger, in the county of Will and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Phonograph s, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved construction in a phonograph or sound-reproducing instrument, particularly with respect to the amplifying and resonating devices. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section, axial with respect to the vertically-extending memberof the sound conduit, of a phonograph emreproducer and tone arm and the recordcarrier being shown in side elevation and conventionally,that is, without regard to details of construction.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section at the line, 2-2, on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section at the line, 33, on Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a removable resonating device adapted to be contained in the horn mouth or amplifier.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an obstructive deflecting device, adapted to be positioned at the smaller end of the amplifier or horn mouth terminal of the conduit.

Fig. 6 is a perspectiveview of a partitioning device employed in the sound conduit at the entrance to the amplifier or resonator.

The drawings illustrate a phonograph features of construction is familiar, comprising a reproducer or sound box, 1, a. tone arm, 2, to one end of which the sound box is connected, and which is pivoted at the other end to the upright portion, 3, of the sound conduit. This upright portion, 3, of the conduit is of wood mounted in any convenient manner rigid sound conduit, comprising the amplifier and resonator. This amplifier and resonator is preferably made of wood constituting a horn mouth tapered widening toward its discharge end, the angle of taper or widening increasing from the smaller to the larger end in both horizontal and vertical dimensions, but more rapidly in the horizontal direction, as may be understood from the drawings; the result being, of course, that in longitudinal outlines, both in vertical and horizontalsection, this horn mouth is exteriorly curved concavely. This amplifier is oblong in cross-section at all points of its length, the disparity in the two dimensions, however, increasing from the smaller to the larger end. The horn or amplifier 6, is connected with the upright member, 3, of the conduit by a cylindrical elbow member, 5, whose diameter is substantially unchanged throughout the 90-degree-bend of the elbow. The upper end of the elbow is telescopcd into the lower end of the cylindrical upright member, 3, and the lower forwardly-facing end is flanged at 5 for securing it to a wooden junction member, 5", which connects the elbow with the amplifier. This elbowconnecting member, 5, is a wooden block which is rectangular in cross section for fitting within the smaller end of the amplifier, and has a duct from end to end for the sound conduit into the amplifier, said duct being at the portion, beyond the cylindrical entrance which fits the lower forward end of the elbow, rectangular in crosssection and tapered widening to the end which opens into the amplifier.

The amplifier, 6, besides being a soundconductor, is designed to beat resonator,- that is, it is designed not only to amplify the vibrations by its expanding form, to intensify them by its own responsive v1- bration. Partly for the purpose of increasing this responsive vibratory action of the amplifier, there isprovidcd a device which is shown in Fig. 6, whi 'h is inserted in the vertical portion, 3, of the conduit for partitioning that portion of the conduit into a plurality of longitudinal subdivisions or lindrical wall of said member, 3. This device comprises the central hub or axial body, '2 and any desired number,-as illustrated, four,-radially extending webs or vanes, 7 which make contact with the inner cylindrical surface of the said Vertical portion, 3, 0:55 the conduit. It will be observed that this device by its central or hub portion excludes the air vibrations from so much of the pace, and the remainder of the conduit space in this vertical portion, 3, is divided into separate conduits to which the tone arm transmits the sound vibrations, which blend and coiiperate in producing the vibration of the air body through the elbow member, 5, and connectlng block, 5", and into the amplifier and resonator, 6. It is found that to a certaid extent the sound vibrations are clarified by being limited to the smaller or sub-dividcd passages by the device, 7, and this effect continues where the vibrations are somewhat restricted to the outer circunr ferential portion of the conduit, beyond the part,.3,that is, in the elbow member, 5, and this is the purpose of the device. Carrying out this purpose still further, and upple inenting it,there is provided in the rectangular tapering portion 5 of the cavity of the elbow connecting member, 5", there i located a wedge-shaped deflector, 8, which is tapered also, but not to a point, in a plane transverse to that in which it is ta .pered. to an edge as seen in Fig. 5. That is to say, the device is tapered in both directions correspondingly to the taper of the said tapering portion of the cavity, 5, its vertical dimension being the full corresponding dimension of said Cavity which is oblong at its larger end, though it is circular at the smaller end; the result is that the space in said tapering portion of said tapering cavity is obstructed at the middle portion by said wedge-shaped and tapered deflecting device, 8, leaving equal lateral and separated portions at opposite sides, with theeffect of causingthe sound vibrations to be transmitted by separate lateral bodies of air, and with a clarification of the vibration somewhat increased'beyond what it would be if the central portion were not excludedfrom the vibrations by said deflecting wedgeshaped device, 8, and with the effect desired, namely, that said clarified vibrations occur in the body of the air adjacent to the lat eral walls of the amplifier and resonator, 6, and thereby tend to produce correspondingly clearer vibratory effect upon these walls whose vibration intensifies the vibration of the air body within the resonator,- For the purpose, furthermore, of obtaining the full effect of the vibration of these separated air bodies and of each of them in all four transverse directions, there is provided mounted within the amplifier and resonator,

p ens, 1010, which are framed together by reans side pieces, 11-11, WhlCh fit snugiy within the amphfier andresonator,

as seen in Fig. 3. These partitions extend in the direction of the greater transverse dimension of the transversely oblong amplifier and resonator, cross-wise of the dlrectlon of the edge of the wedge-shaped deflector, 8, and thereby partition off the total space in said narrower end of the amplifier into two volumes at the upper and lower side respectively, as indicated at a and b. The wed eshaped deflecting device, 8, extending t e greater dimension of its wider end crosswise of the adjacent end of the partitions, 10-10, obstructs the middle portion of the width of each of these volumes contained respectively between the two partitions, 10-10, and between them respectively and the upper and lower walls of the amplifier; and thus by the codperation of the partition, 10-10, and the deflecting device, 8, the sound vibrations are excluded substantially from the central portion of the volume of the narrower end portion of the amplifier, 6, and limited to volumes adjacent to the four Sides at least for the distance along the length of the amplifier through which the partitions, 1010, extend. The rate of widening of the amplifier in both its transverse dimensions increases rapidly beyond the outer ends of the partitions, 10, permitting the amplification of the ound waves issuing through the four volumes indicated, adjacem the four sides of the amplifier, the sound waves blending as they are amplified in this space and being vibration of the four walls of amplifier and resonator itself, as well as by the vibration of the two partitions, 10-10, with the result that the sound issuing from the wide mouth of the amplifier is stronger and of purer tone, less affected by the blunting or mufiiing which is noticeable when the sound is pro jected through a tapering horn mouth in which the entirevol'ume of air therein is put into vibration as a'unitary volume.

I claim -1. In a sound-reproducing device, a sound conduit comprising an amplifier and resohat-or of which the terminal discharge memher is tapered widening at an increasing angle toward the discharge, in combination with resonating partitions rigidly fixed within the narrower less rapidly tapering portion of the amplifier and terminating at a distance back from its wide discharge end.

2, In a sound-reproducing instrument, a sound conduit comprisin an amplifier and reinforced by the I resonator having a discharge terminal-which in ombination with two partitions located in the narrower; tapering portion of said terminal extending in planes having the general direction ta er.

n testimony W of: the axial plane of wider hereofll have hereunto set 10 my hand at Steger, Illinois, this 7th day of October, 1916.

CARL STEIN. 

